England have a Test series to put to bed – or maybe to consign to a watery grave – before they can afford to let their thoughts wander. But for Stuart Broad, half a dozen limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka probably cannot come quickly enough.

Andrew Strauss has not been asked yet whether he believes Sri Lanka's spirited fightback over the last few days is good for cricket, but it is reasonable to assume his response will be along the lines of that uttered by a Middlesex and England predecessor when facing a similar line of inquiry.

They have a reputation for occupying multimillion-pound pads and dragging down the value of neighbourhoods. But could squatters actually provide the bedrock for the Government's Big Idea &ndash; even as the Justice Secretary tries to stamp them out?